The Wakarusa War took place from November 21 to December 8, 1855, near Lawrence, Kansas. It was triggered by the murder of a Free State Abolitionist and escalated when pro-slavery militia known as Border Ruffians threatened to attack Lawrence, the Free State capital. Another Abolitionist, Thomas Barber, was killed before order was restored. However, the incident kicked off a decade of violence that engulfed the border between Kansas and Missouri in a devastating civil war.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
In the mid-1850s, Americans living in the territory that included present-day Kansas and Nebraska looked to organize new States to join the Union.
At the time, slavery was banned in the region by the Missouri Compromise (1820). Because of this, Slave States opposed the organization of new territories that could potentially become Free States. They were worried the addition of Free States would upset the balance of power in Congress and lead to the abolition of slavery.
Despite their objections, Congress passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854. Two territories were established, west of Missouri, and divided at the 40th parallel: